freetoview33
Established Member
This is only until May when things are changing again.
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First West of England (Bristol, Bath & The West)
- Thread starter Ivo
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Callum15632
Member
33422 is now at Weston. Apparently it is in its way to Lawrence Hill Depot to be used on the 349 route. I think what's going to happen is 33420-22 are to be used on the 349 route and then some B9s at Lawrence Hill Depot that are spare are probably are going to be transferred to Hengrove to replace the B7TLs 32334, 32335, 32337, 32346, and 32353.
Last edited:
DaveHarries
Established Member
To what extent I wonder. I know the 2tph Monday to Saturday on the Severn Beach route is part of the Metrowest scheme.
Dave
stait.john
Member
- Joined
- 17 May 2013
- Messages
- 372
32543-32545 Hengrove to Bridgwater
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Interesting but surely the B9s freed from the 349 would be replacing 37182/3/5?
-Colly405-
Member
Does anyone know what is happening with the WSM-Langford 51? This time last week it was showing on the forthcoming timetable page on First's website, including a Saturday service and journeys to Wrington which were presumably replacing the totally-invisible-online 991, but it has now disappeared from their website, and isn't on TravelWest, Traveline or BusTimes either. Stagecoach are still tracking on their 51 though. V odd...
Citistar
Member
Stagecoach were still running it on Tuesday.
The new North Somerset tender was issued to start from November, so it is possible that First have won it from then, but mistakenly added the timetable to their website and systems a bit prematurely. The First website timetable (from what i remember) matched the revised version tendered by North Somerset with journeys serving Langford Campus and Wrington.
While we're on the subject of the 51, the "connecting" minibus services 991 (Wrington) and 992 (Blagdon) operated by Weston & District CT seem to have disappeared. North Somerset Council obviously wouldn't tell me anything when i asked.
Informing people about bus services just encourages them to use them and should be avoided at all costs!
-Colly405-
Member
For something to disappear it has to be there first. I think the only place they were publicised was on the Churchill School website, wasn't it? Or am I being unfair...?
Citistar
Member
I found details on the Churchill School website, the Burrington Parish Council website and the Wrington Parish Council website, but neither the 991/2 nor the 56 service between Clevedon and Walton Bay were ever added to any journey planning systems, so never appeared on BusTimes or TravelineSW. I don't believe they were ever registered with the Traffic Commissioner either as i've never found details in Notices & Proceedings. I know that the 992 did operate for a time because it was usually parked on the bus stop at Tout's Garage (Langford) on a Thursday when i passed to collect passengers for Clevedon and Nailsea.
Dai Corner
Established Member
- Joined
- 20 Jul 2015
- Messages
- 6,351
Hmmm . Are you allowed to run a bus service and collect fares without registering it with the Traffic Commissioner and uploading timetable data to Bus Open Data?
Apparently if the local authority wants it to!
Citistar
Member
Section 19 or 22 permit operations are allowed to do pretty much anything they please, especially if they're being run by the local council.
-Colly405-
Member
Is the 56 still running?
North Somerset Services 56 / 991 /992 appeared in Notices and Proceedings on 29th April 2021 , although they appear to have started well before this. They were in the name of the Council not Weston and District Community Transport.
Citistar
Member
Thanks for that, NJ. I stand corrected. I had never been able to find a reference to them being registered at all. It'll be interesting to see if they get deregistered.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Had a little trip out yesterday in North Somerset involving an AvonRider, with a lovely trip on the 54/55 courtesy of HCT albeit the views from Dundry were diminished by the pouring rain.
However, I was looking at First’s Excel network. Since 2017, when it was introduced, it’s been amended and chopped and changed. The simplicity of the network has been lost so there are various suffixes, short workings etc.
The fleet is now looking rather aged. The B7TLs are a short term fix but the main fleet are mainly 13-15 years old; only the 6x63 plates are newer and the one I enjoyed yesterday was looking quite tatty inside. Marketing is a bit half hearted; no orange bus flags, no internal marketing and bus shelters that used to have the old Express Yourself stuff can now be seen advertising Internet Providers or Opticians.
It’s a bit underwhelming and seems to have lost whatever momentum it had in 2017.
One little aside was that I travelled on one of the ex London/Leicester e400s and it was exceptionally clean inside. Looks like it had received a deep clean - even spots like the window sills above the staircase were spotless.
However, I was looking at First’s Excel network. Since 2017, when it was introduced, it’s been amended and chopped and changed. The simplicity of the network has been lost so there are various suffixes, short workings etc.
The fleet is now looking rather aged. The B7TLs are a short term fix but the main fleet are mainly 13-15 years old; only the 6x63 plates are newer and the one I enjoyed yesterday was looking quite tatty inside. Marketing is a bit half hearted; no orange bus flags, no internal marketing and bus shelters that used to have the old Express Yourself stuff can now be seen advertising Internet Providers or Opticians.
It’s a bit underwhelming and seems to have lost whatever momentum it had in 2017.
One little aside was that I travelled on one of the ex London/Leicester e400s and it was exceptionally clean inside. Looks like it had received a deep clean - even spots like the window sills above the staircase were spotless.
-Colly405-
Member
Isn't there some sort of Excel revamp with new(er?) vehicles being agreed with N Somerset Council?
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
stait.john
Member
- Joined
- 17 May 2013
- Messages
- 372
New vehicles due for Weston Depot in the first part of next year to upgrade the excel network. Small amount of excel duties/buses now based at Lawrence Hill (Marlborough Street)
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
They would be welcome. I know that @D2007wsm isn't a fan of the ex Leicester machines but the one I had was fine yesterday (and exceptionally clean). However, they would be useful for updating some other OpCo. The 56 plates are the most comfortable but they're getting long in the tooth so new investment is definitely welcome.
vla50
Member
Will this new investment see off the ex London Excel Enviros?
I do wonder where they could go if they do finish in Bristol - Badgerline, Somerset, Norfolk?
Possibly although the Portsmouth Clean Air Zone (CAZ) requires Euro6. Are the ex London Environs upgraded to that already?
Callum15632
Member
Yes I believe they are as they got upgraded ready for the Bristol Clean Air Zone.
freetoview33
Established Member
I think all first buses that enter Bristol are euro vi now
Callum15632
Member
Not the B7TLs and ALX400s and B7RLEs.
From what I heard it is due to be 20 Streetdecks. Apparently no one else wants them. I don’t think they will like some of the Excel network with the hills especially the X3 & X4 with Rownham Hill. E400s struggle at times going up there.
They would probably cope OK on the X7 and X9.
A good idea would be to swap some of them in to Bristol to use on the 48/48A/49, releasing some E400MMCs for the Excel network. They seemed to cope fine when they were used last year on the Excel network and the drivers like them.
They would be welcome. I know that @D2007wsm isn't a fan of the ex Leicester machines but the one I had was fine yesterday (and exceptionally clean). However, they would be useful for updating some other OpCo. The 56 plates are the most comfortable but they're getting long in the tooth so new investment is definitely welcome.
They were horrible, they were always cold and the seats were closer together. I don’t travel on them anymore, I commute in the car now.
They would be perfect to replace the ex London B7TLs which are used on the 1, 7 and what are left in Bristol.
A couple could also get the chop and be converted to replace the ALX400 coasters.
What Weston could do with is some short E200s or Solos to see off the last of the Darts. They were supposed to be retired last year, but the aquisition of the 2, 4 and 6 through that out the window. They really are too big, the 449** E200s would have been perfect for those services.
I also heard the A3 is due to resume in April. I wonder what state 67107 and 67108 will return in having being ragged on Rail Replacement and God knows what else.